I’ve previously shared my discovery that the things that make us great as leaders every day can make us terrible as leaders of change. “Every day” and “change” are very different.

The simple example: Solving problems. We solve everyday problems all day long. We’ve learned habits and thinking about solving everyday problems from those who came before us. We succeed because we solve problems well, instantly, either by ourselves or with other leaders who are also good at solving problems.

When we lead a change, we’re dealing with a very different thing altogether. When we disregard the sanctity of how our people “have always done it,” it can be upsetting, disconcerting, nerve-wracking, even if they don’t tell us. So when we don’t bring our people in to the process and get their ideas (which may be more insightful than our own), and we also don’t make them part of the change…when we don’t do that, they push back. (They may hide their cognitive dissonance with a smile and a thumbs up, but they’ll find ways to resist…it’s human.)

We need a different mindset during a change. Instead of having a mindset that says, “We leaders need to solve this problem ourselves,” we need to have a mindset that says, “Maybe there’s genius among our people (who are closer to things), and maybe our own ideas will be naïve, and maybe—just maybe—when our people feel heard, they’ll fight for the change alongside us, rather than resisting.”

So how do we lead things every day and lead things during changes, given that they’re both required at the same time?

It calls for constantly switching hats. Someone walks up to us with an everyday question, and we help them: “I’ve seen it done this way in the past, why don’t we try that,” we say. Ten seconds later, someone asks us about an ongoing change that’s critical to our future. We help them, too: “So, what do YOU think? Have you asked others? What do you think the customer will think about it if we do it that way?”

We have to wear different hats, depending on whether it’s an everyday item, or a change. We need to switch hats all day long.

It’s that simple. And that hard.